1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is a process and apparatus for assembling a catalytic converter which includes a columnar catalyst contained in a cylindrical casing with a seal member and a peripheral surface protecting member interposed between the catalyst and an inner surface of the casing, the casing comprising a pair of axially divided casing halves welded to each other and including flanges welded to opposite ends thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Assembling of such catalytic converter has been conventionally conducted in such a manner that a vessel such as pallet and container is disposed for every plurality of assembling steps, and parts or components are transported for every lot.
In such prior art assembling, it is impossible to precisely seize the total assembling speed and the assembling situations and it is difficult to control the steps, resulting in a non-uniform quality of products.
In assembling the casing, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 173516/82; 247814/86 and 1248/88, a plurality of parts or components including a catalyst to be contained in the casing are disposed in a stack, and a pair of casing halves are placed one on the other from opposite sides of the stack and coupled to each other. Therefore, it is difficult to position within the casing the plurality of parts or components including the catalyst, and the assembling apparatus is of a complicated construction.
Further, the welding of flanges to the opposite ends of the casing with the catalyst packed therein is commonly conducted by a manual operation by a welding worker. The flanges at the opposite ends of the casing in the catalytic converter may be coupled to the casing with their axes offset from each other, for example, due to a limitation by the position of mounting to a vehicle or the like, and the relative positions of the flanges to the casing may be displaced from each other. In such welding operation of the flanges to the casing, not only the skill is required, but also aligning is complicated and the operation efficiency is inferior.